Elisabethkirche

The Elisabethkirche is a modern Roman Catholic church in the Graz district of Straßgang. It stands in the 16th district, near the newer suburb of Webling. The building was completed in 1972 after a housing estate grew up in the area during the 1960s. Its simple rectangular form and sloping roof give it an unadorned appearance. Over time the interior was adapted for worship, and a tapering bell tower was added as a landmark. The church is dedicated to Saint Elisabeth of Hungary. The interior focuses on a plain wooden altar surrounded by pews on three sides. Wooden panels behind the altar show images of the parish’s patron saints: Elisabeth, Martin and the Three Kings. These were painted by Franz Weiß, a local artist from the western Styria region, in 1972. A carved Madonna under a canopy hangs above the holy-water stoup at the rear left. The fourteen stations of the cross were created by Werner Augustiner, an artist known for his late-expressionist style. Eight enamel panels decorate the main door. Visitors enter through the portal with its enamel panels and find a calm, light-filled space. The wooden altar and surrounding pews occupy the centre of the rectangular room. Behind it, the three painted panels depict the church’s patron saints. To the left, the holy-water stoup hangs beneath a carved Madonna. The crossway by Augustiner runs along the walls, completing the modest yet carefully arranged interior.